1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to equipment for sports training and play, and in particular to a multi-adjustable batting tee.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sports which involve batting are quite popular and include baseball, softball and tee ball. The object of the batter in such sports is generally to bat the ball into the field of play with considerable force. The ball can either be pitched to a batter or, in the case of tee ball, supported in the batter's strike zone by a tee structure. Prior art batting tees generally include base and tube assemblies, with the tube assemblies having lower ends connected to the base assemblies and upper ends for supporting a ball in the approximate area of the player's strike zone. The base assembly is usually a home plate sized piece of solid rubber or plastic. Certain tees can be rotated to a series of different positions on the base through a pin and hole system, rotating goose-neck shaped tee or by placement in multi-position tee holes in the base assembly. The performance of many prior art stationary and rotating batting tees is limited by the placement of their tee stems. Stationary tees restrict the ball to a single location over the center of the base or home plate. This restriction forces the batter to improperly position his or her feet in relation to home plate and to reposition himself or herself every time he or she wants to change the direction of ball flight. This limitation encourages poor stance and swing mechanics. Many prior art rotating tees limit tee stem placement to a few locations over home plate. By restricting tee locations to positions on home plate, current tees do not allow for batters to hit balls in front of home plate where optimum force can be applied.
The present invention addresses these disadvantages associated with prior art batting tees.